Reflective Statement

Introduction This project involved creating a strategic report covering all aspects of the operation of the Walt Disney Group. The report entailed drawing on a relatively broad analysis of the workings of the Walt Disney Group, with each member of the team contributing certain parts of the report, before then coming together to undertake an overall analysis. This reflective statement looks at how I personally worked within the team and any areas that I feel I could improve upon, in the future. The reflective statement will also describe the way in which I worked within the team to assist others and how we dealt with any conflicts which occurred, during the length of the project. Individual Contribution I was personally responsible for specific aspects of the actual research and for writing up the project. At the outset, we sat down with the team to allocate certain areas of work, with a view to meeting regularly to combine our findings and to ensure that the report, as a whole, read as if it were one voice. As the project involved some form of strategic analysis, I was particularly concerned that if each individual simply worked on their own section, it would not come together as a sensible whole (Forsyth, 2009). I personally felt that I took the lead, when it came to communicating amongst the team and also when ensuring that we met up regularly to discuss progress. I myself as one of the other team members took the lead in arranging these meetings. Whilst this was successful, initially, we soon found that other members of the team were not responding to the suggestion of meetings and were not sending their own work in good time, thus creating difficulties amongst the team and also making it harder for me as an individual to complete my element of the project (Boud & Walker 1993) If I were to undertake the project again, I would ensure that, from the outset, much greater emphasis was placed on setting out the full scope of each individual’s work assignment, as it quickly became apparent that each individual within the team was relying on others to undertake their part of the report. Therefore, when one individual was failing to keep pace with the rest of the team, this created a much greater problem than simply one person not â€Å"pulling their weight†. As a relatively strong individual, I would personally put myself forward as more of a co-ordinator, at the outset, to ensure that this lack of cohesion did not happen in future (Jarboe & Witteman, 1996). When we encountered difficulties at the end of the project, with one individual not being available in the few days prior to the deadline, I took on another section of the writing in order to ensure that we were then able to meet the deadline, something which put me under increased personal pressure. Based on the problems that we were having, at that point in time, it was the only reasonable solution available; however, better team management, at an earlier stage when it became apparent that some individuals were not going to make the deadline would have prevented such a high level of personal pressure and this additional workload could then have been spread more evenly. Working with Others and Resolving Conflicts As noted above, it became apparent, as the project progressed, that there were certain key individuals within the team who were becoming increasingly unresponsive to setting up meeting times and were not presenting their work when requested. This could have put the entire project in jeopardy and was exacerbated when one individual was not available at all, in the few days prior to the deadline. The fact that some of the key individuals were not responding to requests for meetings or submitting their work on-time became apparent midway through the project. Yet, action was not positively taken by myself and the other organising team members who were still responding until just a few days before the deadline (Coleman, 2011). Effectively, our approach to dealing with this matter was to ignore it and simply continue with our own activities, something which potentially jeopardised the project in its entirety. With a project of this nature, merely ignoring conflict was not an option. Furthermore, although regular negotiations were attempted by suggesting meeting times, communication between team members had already broken down. In reality, this conflict could have been resolved, at the outset, before any difficulties emerged, by setting out a team leader who was going to be responsible for keeping everybody on track and ensuring that the meetings took place as arranged. As soon as it became apparent that the timeframe for the project was not being kept, the appointed team leader could then have taken a more aggressive stance to ensure that such failings did not jeopardise the overall project. It was arguably this failure that was instrumental in creating a last-minute panic and rush. Individual Improvement for the Future Bearing all of this in mind, I feel that my own areas for improvement, in the future would be to take a much more active stance, in terms of project management, from the outset (Schon 1996). I would also ensure that all team members complied with the timeframes set out. I became personally aware that there were difficulties with communication and timeframe, at a relatively early stage, yet I largely chose to ignore this in the hope that matters would improve of their own accord. This approach led to me personally being put under considerable pressure, towards the end of the project and, as such, my own individual performance was not as good as it could have been, particularly with the last section of the project being rushed, over a period of 2 to 3 days. I therefore feel that I could have improved my own personal performance by taking a much more active role in project management. This would enable me to ensure that each individual was working within the timeframe and I was not requ ired to rush during the last few days of the project, potentially sacrificing the quality of the work. References Boud D & Walker D (1993) Barriers to Reflection on Experience. In Boud D,. Cohen R & Walker D. Using Experience for Learning. Buckingham: Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press. Coleman, P (2011). The Five Percent: Finding Solutions to Seemingly Impossible Conflicts. Public Affairs. New York, p.26 Forsyth, D. R. (2009). Group dynamics (5th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Jarboe, S. C., & Witteman, H. R. (1996). Intragroup conflict management in task-oriented groups: The influence of problem sources and problem analysis. Small Group Research, 27, 316–338. Schon D. (1996). From Technical Rationality to Reflection in Action, In: Edwards, R., Hanson, A., and P Raggatt (eds) Boundaries of Adult Learning, London, Routledge.

Kallipolis: the City of the Ideal

Around the time of 380 BCE, a philosopher by the name of Plato wrote one of his most famous works: The Republic. Within the text of this dialogue, Socrates and his fellow conversationalists discuss a morally and socially sensitive issue: what, per se, is justice? Throughout the work, there were several definitions ranging from â€Å"the power of the strong† to â€Å"rewarding good and punishing evil. † To help bring clarity to their discussions, Socrates proposes that in order to discover justice as a concept, they must apply it holistically as opposed to an individualistic, circumstantial criteria.In order to accomplish this, the group imagines what the ideal city would be like. In this ideal place, there would be three classes of people (producers, auxiliaries, and guardians) which would told they have have a corresponding metal which makes up their soul. Bronze for the producers, silver for the auxiliaries, and gold for the guardians. Each class would be determined b y individual merit in accordance with what tasks they best perform. For example, if a man is best at digging ditches he will dig ditches for the rest of his life.Additionally, the members of one class can only produce children with members of the same class. The citizens of this city (a total of around 30,000 individuals) would all share wealth, food, and shelter communally. Several core virtues such as wisdom (through the guardians), courage (through the auxiliaries), and moderation (through all classes dwelling together peacefully) will be emphasized to help preserve justice. Socrates emphasizes that the goal is to make a city as good as possible so that the populace is as content as possible.The end-goal is not just to make one person as happy as possible. As a pupil of Socrates, Plato's construction of this ideal city, named Kallipolis, was much more than hypothesizing about mortar and stone. For Plato, Kallipolis was meant to reflect two drastically different things on two tota lly different levels. On the baser level, Kallipolis' inclusion of human virtues just as justice and moderation mirrors the individual. On the other side, Kallipolis also represents the entirety of the cosmos with its realm of infinite possibly and wondrous ideals.To Socrates and Plato, this city was a sociopolitical organization which allowed citizens to achieve their potential, serve the state, and live according to the absolute truths which govern our existence. Unfortunately, the ideal Kallipolis is just that: an ideal. It may be all well and good to construct an ideal city in the mind, but unfortunately this utopian system lacks a firm foundation in reality. Kallipolis is a utopia: an imagined society put forward by its author as better than any existing society, past or present.Specifically according to Plato, Kallipolis is not just a better city, but rather is the best city. This makes creating Kallipolis impossible because there was nothing to from the real-world to model it self after. This is what makes construction of a place like Kallipolis to hard to even pragmatically imagine. It is not that obscure for one to even assume that in actuality, Plato never meant for Kallipolis to be a reality, but rather to have it serve as a goal for other poleis or nation-states to model themselves after.Plato planned for the society described in his Republic to not just be a utopia, but to rather be the best utopia, making this ideal even more difficult to properly realize. If one were to look into his work, one would certainly see that Plato never advocates revolution or legislation to bring his Republic into existence. On the contrary, Plato knew that Kallipolis was an impossibility and that the Republic would only live on in the minds of those who read his works.His message was that if all individuals (be they king, peasant, or representative) were just, the ideal city would exist. Thus, people must strive on their own to better themselves if they ever wish to b ring about a better society overall. This is the beauty of Plato's theorem: it is impossible for this utopia to fail because this city is only actually meant to exist as the hypothetical dream of an aging philosopher. Because of this, Kallipolis was able to evade some of the stubborn realities existent on Earth.The purpose for this city is not necessarily to exist, but rather to be the ideal which the contemporary cities (such as Athens or Sparta) and the ruling bodies (the people or the aristocracy, respectively) may be judged. Instead of looking at other countries, cities, and nations which dwelled in the real world to compare one's city to, Plato thought it would be best if a city was compared to the ideal, Kallipolis. Even in modern times, Kallipolis is a suitable standard concerning how a society made of of many different factions can live harmoniously.Personally, it is my viewpoint that this city is just for a community, but unjust for the individual. For this, I would not wan t to live in a governing system such as this. It is reasonable to assume that Plato's city might not be so â€Å"ideal† in the 21st century world of digitalized information and civil liberties. Through a primitive eugenics program, avid informational censorship, and telling a â€Å"noble lie,† Kallipolis' people do not so much choose what they wish to accomplish as much as they are conditioned to perform what tasks must be done.The individual rights of the people are cast aside for the sake of the â€Å"greater good† in a very utilitarian system which contains a harsh pragmatism in its application. One needs to look no further than Nazi Germany, Socialist Russia, Fascist Italy, or Communist China to see the problems with this worldview and the mindset it supported. The end game for Plato's Republic is not so much to have citizens who ponder life's deeper meanings, but to rather have mindless drones performing the tasks they were instructed to do.Yet even with th ese numerous infractions against the core of humanity, the ruling body of Kallipolis is incredibly legitimate. The guardians (who are more than qualified for their positions) rule both effectively and efficiently for the sake of the nation-state. Overall, they provide the proper protection for their people and preserve their well being. The guardians attempt to honor the welfare and well-being of all citizens by promoting justice, striving for class harmony, and defending their people within the walls of their ideal polis.However, the flaw lies not in the people themselves, but rather in the system they were placed into. After all, such a sense of loyalty to homeland is desirable, but the system's cost to individuality and free will is simply too much. All Men have certain rights ordained to them at birth by nature (or whichsoever deity a people worships) which include a right to life, a right to liberty, and a right to property. Socrates' and Plato's Kallipolis strips away its citi zens' rights to such things, such as when it dictates an individual's lot from the beginning.First, a person's life will be channelled into one of three categories. Second, (and based on the category) that person will instructed only on what they will be doing the rest of their lives. Finally, he or she will share all personal possessions with others, losing a sense of identity one moment at a time. Kallipolis, with all of its peaceful and harmonious benefits, eliminates certain rights which were made self-evident long before Socrates or Plato ever lived. The elimination of those rights is unacceptable and ought not be tolerated.

To what extent was the USA a Divided Union in the years 1941-1980?

Politically the USA has always been a democracy, with an allowance for all political parties to express their opinions. But there have been times in the aforementioned decades from 1941-1980 where political beliefs, like socialism and communism have been feared in the government to such an extent that McCarthyism was allowed to become mainstream in the 1950's. This fear was so great that people were tried and prosecuted on false allegations, and that based on these lies most were sentenced to jail, and some were even killed, like the Rosenbergs. The Rosenbergs were nuclear scientists who during the Second World War, while the USA was allied with the USSR, gave some non-classified information to the Soviets. They were tried and executed in 1953. True, some of the accused were indeed communists, or had communist beliefs, but none of them had ever done anything to jeopardise the security of the USA, nor had the power to. Also in the American political system there did not exist anyone to represent the minority blacks, as they did not have the power to vote until the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and even then there never was a black president voted into power as there is still a certain amount of non active racial discrimination in the American governmental system till the 1980's. Socially, Racism has always existed between the minority WASPs who hold the power in America and other racial groups, mainly the black American population who were originally brought to the USA as slaves. This discrimination on basis of skin colour was against the American constitution, and should have been illegal, but it was legalised with the inception of the ‘Jim Crow' laws. These sets of corrupt racist laws had many preposterous clauses such as the ‘grandfather law' and others, which basically denied black Americans of their inalienable civil rights. This started the Civil Rights movement, but one case of racial discrimination was the trigger. This was the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 in which the black American majority bus users boycotted the bus service on command of Martin Luther King, later to be the leader in black civil rights. His movements gained many successes, such as the pre-mentioned 1965 Voting rights Act, which outlawed the discrimination of voting on basis of race, and most importantly the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which gave black people the equal rights to do whatever they pleased, and gave them equal employment opportunities. Other more radical black American movements also came into being, such as Black Power, with the Black Panthers being the main case. This movement charaded in the guise of militants, wearing a uniform and carrying unloaded guns, to show that they would use violence if needed, but they were indeed a charity organisation, providing shelters and soup kitchens for the poor. They were feared because of their leftist beliefs and were hunted down by the FBI. Protest movements later became much more common in the 60s and 70s, following the lead of the Civil Rights movement. The Women's Movement fought for equal rights based on sex and won their legal battle. The student movement generally rebelled against the norm, but they mainly protested against the Vietnam War as they felt there was no need for it. The Native Americans were the most disadvantaged minority, but their formation of AIM was a success in itself, and they still to this day fight to try and regained their lost balance of life. Economically the USA has prospered, but not all parties in the USA have taken their share of prosperity. There is an increasing underclass, stuck in a vicious circle, with no education, therefore no employment, and no employment, therefore no money. This still mainly made up of black Americans living in the slums and ghettoes of modern day America. Also up to the 1970's black Americans and women were discriminated against in the workplace, and their chances of getting jobs were minimal. Many different cultures exist in the USA, mainly because of the largely immigrant population. This brings a lot of different cultures into the mainstream, creating such phenomenon as hippies. These people follow strange religions and practises, completely ignoring the age-old idea of civilisation and ‘pop' culture. The government liked to think of things the ‘American way', a father coming home from work to his wife who has baked him and his children an apple pie, but in most cases this almost ceased to exist, swamped by the counter-culture of drugs and outlandish clothes. Overall I think that the USA was a greatly divided union in the decades from 1941-1980, and that this was destined to be in a new land full of immigrants from different societies, races and creeds.

Choosing the Correct Daycare

Tyree’s Child Care 2 John and Sue have been seeking a new child care facility for their eight week old baby, Tyree. Unfortunately, they have been unable to come to a decision between two of the best centers. The high point of Center A is that there are many teachers and they are always speaking to and cuddling the infants. The high point of Center B is not only is it safe and clean like Center A, it is less expensive, as well. However, upon professional evaluation of the two centers, Center A was chosen for baby Tyree.The center meets the state licensing requirements, has a nice atmosphere, is safe, clean and has plenty of amiable staff members. A safe environment and trusted caretakers are factors in building resilience in children (Bukatko, 2008). Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity or trauma and most children are highly resilient because they generally feel safe and protected (Bukatko, 2008). The center feels like a safe place for Tyree, with plenty of safe people to cuddle her. Center A was the more expensive of the two because it has tunnels for crawling and extra play areas.Although this was not a factor for Tyree immediately as she is only 8 weeks old and is unable to crawl at this stage in her development, babies grow quickly and those areas will come in handy soon. Important to Tyree’s development, is the interaction with the many child care teachers that the center employs. The teachers enjoy talking to the babies during feeding times and diaper changes. They also are always available to hold and cuddle the babies and do so often. Tyree is in the first stage of Erickson’s stages of psychosocial development called Trust verses Mistrust (Bukatko, 2008).During this stage, a baby must find consistency and reliability in their caretakers so that they can develop a sense of hope and trust (Bukatko, 2008). This is a very important first stage that lasts for the first year. A failure to establish connections during th is stage could lead to trust and abandonment issues in adulthood. Luckily for Tyree, at this center, that will not be an issue. The center has many brightly colored objects and pictures. Bright colored toys and pictures stimulate a baby’s senses and help their brain’s develop.Cognitive development is imperative and Tyree is in the sensorimotor stage (Bukatko, 2008). She is responding to bright objects around her and soon enough, she will be grasping for those objects. The center also has safe, low shelves. This is important because as Tyree develops and her motor skills advance, she will begin to scoot and then crawl. Safety is extremely important when babies get mobile so it is important for shelves that contain toys Tyree will be interested in to be low and sturdy because during the sensorimotor stage she will have hand and eye coordination to grab whatever she wants (Bukatko, 2008).Tyree also could start using that same shelf to pull herself to stand. Finally, as Ty ree’s motor skills develop further, she will become more visually and physically coordinated (Bukatko, 2008). The sorting and stacking toys will challenge Tyree mentally and help her learn new skills. She will begin to interact with her peers and begin to learn what is socially acceptable as she makes friendships and enters Erickson’s second stage (Bukatko, 2008).Tyree’s Child Care 3 Tyree will then continue on her path of continuous development, reaching milestones, stage after stage. Tyree’s Child Care 4 Bukatko, D. (2008). Child and Adolescent Development. A Chronological Approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

Women Heads of States in Latin America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Women Heads of States in Latin America - Essay Example More so, there were virtually no female heads of state in Latin America as late as the 1980s. Nevertheless, beginning the 1990s to present, the number of women in executive positions and especially as presidents in Latin America has increased drastically. In this essay we look at two women who have made political impact in Latin America, both in the 20th and 21st centuries. We briefly look at Evita Peron, a 20th century woman and the role she played in shaping the future for Latin American women of the 21st century. Secondly, we look more extensively at Michelle Bachelet, her presidency in Chile and how she has continually championed for women rights. Evita Peron was the most influential woman in Latin American history until the late 20th century. Although Evita never officially held a post in the executive, she was a powerful advocate of women rights in the political arena. Until her death in 1952, Evita was actively engaged in designing policies intended to benefit women in Argenti na. In association with other feminists, Evita formed the â€Å"Peronist Feminist Party† that was designed to help women ascend the political ladder and occupy important political posts (Keen & Haynes, pp. 383). In the social sector, Evita founded a charitable organization that gave financial and legal aid to disadvantaged women in Argentina.

Daniel Rutherford Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Daniel Rutherford - Essay Example Daniel Rutherford, from Holl, 1804 It was a natural academic progression to attend the University of Edinburgh where his father was a professor of medicine. Daniel would also graduate with a degree in medicine, but it was the experiments he conducted as a student that helped unlock the mysteries of combustion, life, and the composition of 'vital air' ("Daniel Rutherford"). At the time, it was known that a quantity of air that had been subjected to combustion would no longer support life. It was mistakenly believed that the only gas left was carbon dioxide (CO2), and it was considered noxious because of its in inability to support life. Rutherford, through a series of experiments, was able to extract the CO2 and found that it still would not combust or support life. Though he is credited for isolating nitrogen, a more accurate portrayal is that he discovered that air was a mixture of many gases and there was the existence of 'vital air', that would later be known as oxygen. In 1772, he published his thesis titled On A ir Said to be Fixed or Mephitic (Daintith 467). This enabled other scientists that were doing similar research to be moved down the path of discovery. Rutherford's thesis helped guide the current thinking and has been credited with spawning many of Joseph Priestley's later experiments.(Daintith 467).

The law of international commerce is subject to increasing Essay

The law of international commerce is subject to increasing harmonization - Essay Example One can trace the establishment of trade fairs, from the Frankfurt Book Fair to the Antwerp Cloth Fair, to the 1200’s to 1400’s, at which time producers and buyers would meet on a regular basis to exchange goods for currency or promissory notes. This safe passage was ensured by the increasing influence of kings and rulers, who were able to tame warring factions and create a system of tolls, laws and enforcement which did not exist during the Dark Ages. Although it was expensive to take a trade route (the Rhine, for example, had over 40 toll stations), the benefit of security outweighed the cost for those who had high-value goods and ready markets in other areas. Trade posed some specific problems which required harmonisation relatively early on. A couple of examples will suffice to explain how these problems arose, and how they were solved. If a trader, for example, were to go to the Frankfurt Book Fair in the Spring of 1450, he might want to find books for his patrons and residents of his home area (say, Tuscany and the de Medici’s). The trader, fearing the dangers of robbery on the roads, or perhaps just lacking the resources, does not take gold with him on the long, arduous journey from Tuscany to Frankfurt. Rather, he brings along letters of introduction from his patrons. In some cases, if the trader was rich enough or well-known, he could trade ‘on his reputation.’ In either case, when he arrived at the Book Fair, he brought documents with him. If our Tuscan trader visits a stall of, say, a Stuttgart bookmaker and decides to buy a few of his books, the bookmaker would like to be paid. Since the trader didn’t have gold or silver with him, he offered to pay the bookmaker with a promissory note. This method of payment led to a series of questions: (1) how do I (the Stuttgart bookmaker) know that this person is who he says he is? And (2) what